From Ningin: If there’s an anime I don’t like but would benefit from being a movie, I would probably still not like it. And if it’s an anime I already like, a movie may be unnecessary and I may end up disliking it. Here are my picks for anime that need to be made into movies. More »

From Ningin: Have you ever played “What’s in the box?” where you touch something and try to figure out what it is? Well, as an Arashi girl, I see it quite often. Normally, it’s something like a wig or something living like an octopus or squid. In this Himitsu no Arashi-chan (HnA, p.s. I think it means Arashi’s secrets although I might be wrong.), Aibu Saki (Zettai Kareshi, Absolute Boyfriend) wants to play it. It’s all fun and games until Mastumoto Jun gets a REAL surprise. I really hope you all watch it to the end becuase I really fell off my chair laughing and got an ab workout as well. Ch-ch-check it out! More »

2010 is going to be THE year for Space Battleship Yamato fans. More »

2 Comments

Japan has seen a surge of shock horror films in the past decade with such movies as Ichi the Killer, Audition, and now, The Machine Girl joins these ranks. More »

3 Comments

Perhaps motivated by white guilt (having only a trace of Asian heritage myself), I’ve always opposed characterizations of Japanese art as subtle, inscrutable, feminine or “Zen” (whatever that means)…and then I encounter an artist who actually is all those things: filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. Ozu is perhaps Kurosawa’s most serious competition for the title of “greatest twentieth century Japanese director,” and his name routinely appears on lists of the greatest directors of all time. More »

2 Comments

If you don’t know who Takeshi Kaneshiro is (shame on you), this post should prove quite enlightening. Known mostly for his roles in Chungking Express, House of Flying Daggers, Fallen Angels, as well as a host of other films, Kaneshiro is one of Japan’s finest actors and this post is going to show you just why… More »

17 Comments

Forget Sherlock Holmes, there’s a new detective in town. The popular manga Konchu Tantei Yoshida Yoshimi (Insect Detective Yoshimi Yoshida) is getting the silver screen treatment this April. More »

5 Comments

I rave so much about Japanese art that it may seem like as far as I’m concerned, everything is the “best” or “most important” or “life-changing” or oh-so-much better than its Western counterpart. But getting down to it. Across all genres–what is the best, that is the one most important story told in recent years: the narrative of modern Japan? As an example of what I mean by this, in America for a long time it was Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby. Like it or not (I personally don’t), that’s basically the story of America. As far as post-War Japan goes, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a strong candidate. So is Barefoot Gen. But I have to put my money on the pop-culture phenomenon of Battle Royale. More »

9 Comments

Move over Kurosawa, there’s more Japanese cinema goodness to be had this month. Today kicks off Rekuru’s (and Ningin’s) Japanese Cinema Royale Special , an all week look at the many films, actors and actresses, and more from the land of the rising sun. Below, for your viewing pleasure, I’ve listed this week’s schedule of posts you can look forward to. So kick back, get comfortable, and prepare yourself because this week is going to kick some serious butt. I’m just saying. More »

1 Comment

Saturday night, I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing a local New York City music group called FiRESiGN. Comprised of lead vocalist Aya and bassist Masaki Yamada, the two have a long-standing background in music, with Masaki originally being the lead singer in the heavy metal band Ezo (formally known as Flatback). Coincidentally, Ezo has been named as an influence for such artists as Steve McDonald of Redd Kross and Michael Steele of the The Bangles. With that said, here’s the interview. Enjoy. More »

3 Comments